692 
The fir ftory is termed L’Epoufe im- 
pertinente par air, which is a charming 
little novel, .with an unexceptionable mo- 
ral. Here fellows a fketch of the fubje&. 
A young French woman of quality, pof- 
feffed of a charming figure, great delicacy, 
and good fenfe, to which iwas added a 
heart at once pure and replete with fenfi- 
bility, happened, like many others, to 
Jofe her parenis, her fortune, and her li- 
berty, during the early period of the Re. 
‘volution. A plebeian, like herfelf young 
and amiable, who is liere defignated by 
the name of Merville, interefis himfelf in 
her behalf. He happens to poffefs credit 
fufficient to liberate her from confinement, 
after which he fecures an honourable afy- 
Jum for her, at the houfe of Madame 
Milier, one of his ownrelations. Generous, 
and fuil of fenfbility, he foon becomes 
greatly attached te-chis unforiunate lady, 
to whom he at length makes an offer of his 
hand, which\is accepted by the fair Emi- 
lia. A few days after, Matilda, her fif- 
ter, is married to Dumond, the fon of 
Madame Miller, a man the dire&. con- 
traf to Merville in refpe&t to all the qua- 
lities of the head and heart. 
Ta the mean time, the emigrants, in 
confequence of a beneficent decree, are 
perniitted to re-enter their native country; 
and the neceflity of rendering themfelves 
agreeable to all the world, ar firt makes 
them affable and engaging; but at length 
their ancient pride and haughtinefs re- 
turn : admitted into familiarity with 
Emilia, they endeavour to make her blufh 
for the match fhe had made, the zeaw fa- 
mily fhe had conneéted herfelf with, and 
even for her hufband. ' After a decent re- 
fiance, fhe at length yields to the dic- 
tates of fhame and pride. She now be- 
gins to confider herfe!f as fuperior to Mer- 
ville, whom fhe treats with very little ce- 
remory, and even with a coolnefs border- 
ing on contempt. Matilda purfues an op- 
pohte conduét. . Initead of biazoning 
forth, fhe conceals, tie defe&s of her 
hufband, and endeavours to dilplay, in 
the moft attractive point of view, the few 
good qualities he pofieffes : in fhort, the 
makes him pafs for a mam of merit, and 
obtains a place for him; while Merville, 
half ruined by the diffipation of Emilia, 
and thought meaaly of in confequence of 
her marked dildain, finds himfeif unable 
to procure an ‘employment which he had 
long folicited. 
Dainal, the, uncle of Emilia, and 
greatly attached to his niece, now inter- 
teres, and, deeming her unhappy and ill- 
treated, hints ata divorce. On this; 
é 
Retrofpet of French Literature.—Novels and Remantess 
Merville, thinking that his wife had not 
only confented, but authorized, fuch a 
popofition, immediately makes over one- 
half of his forture to his wife, and fails 
for the ifland of St. Domingo, where, in 
quality of a volunteer, he was to fight 
againft the revolted Negroes. 
No fooner had Emilia received an inti- 
mation of his intentions, by means of 2 
letter tranfmitted trom the fea-port at 
which he had embarked, than her eyes 
are completely opened, and fhe moft hear- 
tily reprobrates her falle friends, as well 
as the condué fhe herfelf had lately pur- 
fued in compliance with their advice.— 
She accordingly fets out in purfuit of her 
unhappy hufband, and, on her arrival in 
the Weit Indies, finds him confined to 
his bed by a moft dangerous malady.— 
After affording him the mo unequivocal 
tefiimonies of ber fincere repentance, fhe 
becomes his nurfe and his comforter, and 
ihey return to France, in order to rejoin ~ 
the intereiting Matilda, and the good and 
amiable Madame Miller. , 
This ftory is followed by a dialogue’ 
between two men of letters ; one of them, 
Theophile, is devout s the other, Aritte, 
is a philofopher ; and it is evident that 
Madam Genlis leans towards the former. 
The next tale or novel is intitled, Ze 
Philofophe pris au Mot ; ou, le Mari Cor= 
ruptexr’ (The Philofupher taken at his 
Word ; or, the Hufband a Corrupter. 
The principal perfonage here is a mare 
quis, an enthufialtic difciple of the mo- 
den philofophers, who elpoufes:a youre 
lady, mild, pious, geutle, and replete with 
fenfibility. It becomes the bufinefs of 
his life to infiruét his wife in the new phi- 
Jofophy, and he accordingly amufes him- 
felf with reciting the moft condemnable 
paflages of Helvetius and Diderot, toge. 
ther with fome cthers, relating to the re- 
f{oeé&k due to parents, conjugal fidelity, 
fricndthip, goodnefs, &c. &c. until he at 
length fucceeds in defiroying im her the 
germ of all the virtues, as well as in in- 
culcating their oppofite vices. . - 
In conlequence of this, fhe neglects a- 
grandmother who had brought her up, be- 
caule fhe is taught to believe that the is 
not in the leait indebted to her; fhe alfo 
neglects the poor, whom fhe had formerly 
cherifned, as fhe imagines beneficence a 
weaknefs, when it does not tend to pub- 
lic utility. She, at the fame time, encou- 
rages ruinous expences, becaufe it is the! 
duty of a good citizen to encourage luxury 
and manufactures: in fhort, the becomes 
unfaithful to her own hufband, ‘* becanfe 
the is mpfled by an irrefisiible paffion,? a 
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